Mugabe calls for more African integration, slams Financial Institutions

Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May '99

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday called on Africans to take their destiny into their hands and work tirelessly to integrate their peoples and economies for accelerated development.

President Mugabe said it would take the will of all the African people themselves and those in the Diaspora to brave the unfavourable dictates of the financial institutions and march the continent forward.

"As we remodel our strategies towards development, we should remember that the most meticulous documents will not resolve the challenges that lie ahead of us, unless we back them with deeds, more action and not just words," he said.

President Mugabe was speaking at the Fifth African-African American summit currently underway in Accra.

In attendance were 12 African heads of state, five Vice-Presidents and more than 4,000 delegates the majority of them, African Americans.

The dignitaries included United States Secretary for Labour Alexis Herman, who led the American official delegation, the Rev Jesse Jackson, President Bill Clinton's Special Envoy for Africa and some 12 American City Mayors, as well as the convenor of the summit the Rev Leon Sullivan.

President Mugabe, who hosted the last summit two years ago, described the Accra summit as having an emotional content because the process towards the continent's liberation and integration originated in Ghana.

He paid tribute to Ghana's first President Kwame Nkrumah, Dr Du Bois, George Padmore, Marcus Gavey and Malcom-X for their struggle to free and unite the people but expressed regret that much has not been done by the present generation to fully realise their vision.

President Mugabe buttressed an earlier call made by host President Jerry John Rawlings for the bridging of the gap between Africans and those in the Diaspora, especially in America, saying it is through closer ties that the proper environment for trade and investment could be created.

He said the goals and objectives of some continental groupings such as the Organisation of African Unity should be strengthened on the day-to-day basis.

He commended President Clinton's historic tour of Africa last year as well as the commitment of some African Americans, including Rev Sullivan, and urged all Africans in the Diaspora to play the pivotal role in the development of the continent.

"Let your voice continue to be heard among us, let your thoughts continue to open those doors that have remained locked to us," President Mugabe said.

He lashed at the International Financial Institutions for what he termed injustices against Africa, citing "conditionalities" of the IMF towards his own country and some others.

He accused the IMF and the World Bank of making deliberate attempts to keep Africa down saying, these institutions have lost their perspective, which make him wonder sometimes if their policies were inherent of their structure or dictated from outside.

The IMF, he said now tend to be drawing on issues that are extraneous to its objectives.

For example, he said, after satisfying all its prescriptions, the IMF resorted to questioning how Zimbabwe was funding its troops that were sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He explained that the Zimbabwean troops as well as those from other sister countries went to the DRC at the invitation of that government to support it from falling prey to rebel incursions.

"We are fighting against aggression and there is a feeling (by the IMF) that we should not have gone there. We should allow that government to fall prey to the aggressors," he said and asked, "where is the justice?"

He called for America's intervention in IMF's dealings with Africa.